Automatic railroad-signal



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. .R. A. REGESTER & G. D. GREENWOOD.

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD SIGNAL.

N0. 372,386. Patented Nov. 1, 1887.

41W. &5

N. PrrEns. PhoXwLilhognpMr, wlmm wn. D. c.

(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R. A. REGESTER & G. D. GREENWOOD.

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD SIGNAL.

No. 3'7Z,386. Patented Nov. 1, 1887.

n. FUERS. Phowuflmgraphur. Waahingmn. o. c.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OEETcE.

I ROBERT A. REGESTER AND GEORGE D. GREENlVOOD, OF BALTIMORE,

MARYLAND.

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 372,386, dated November 1, 1887.

Application filed January 24, 1887. Serial No. 225,300. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT A. REGEsTER and GEORGE D. GREENWOOD, citizens of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railroad-Signals; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to improvements in automatic railroad-signals wherein a signallamp, semaphore, screen, or any of the railroad-signals in common use may be operated by a moving train, and is so constructed that it may be employed on either asingle or double track, and will indicate the occupancy by a train from either end of the block upon which the signal is employed and the direction in which the said train is moving. This object is accomplished by placing a device of this construction one on each side of the track, that on the right being operated by and indicatingatrain moving in one direction and that on the left being operated by and indicating a train moving in the other direction, the entire operation of opening and closing the signals being performed by the moving train on entering and leaving the block, and operating the signal only on that side of the track which would indicate the direction in which the train is moving.

In the further description of our invention reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan of the device,showing one block which is controlled by the signal. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a de tailed elevation of the tripping operating de vice when set. Fig. 4 is a plan of Fig. 3 Fig. 5 is a detailed elevation of the tripping operating device, illustrating the manner in which the device is operated by a passing train. Fig. 6 is a detailed front elevation of the trigger. Fig. 7 is a plan of the signal-lever.

The same figures refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views,

The figure 8 denotes a single-track block,

which is controlled by one set of signals, and l the jaws 34 of the arm 26, and the shoulders 10:)

To the lower end of the staff 10 is fixed the sheave 12, over which is the line-cable 13, the

said cable 13 being secured to the sheave 12 by means of a pin, 14, or some suitable device, whereby the movement of the sheave is made positive with the movement of the line-cable.

The device ['or operating the signals consists of the lever 15, which is fulcrumed at a suitable bearing, 16, secured to one of the ties 17. Beneath this lever 15, between the rails 18 and under the ties 17, is the box 19, which forms the necessary support and protection for the mechanism therein.

To the bottom of the box 19 is secured the bearing 20, which forms a bearing for the supporting-lever 21, which is fulcrumed thereat. The lever and the supporting-lever 21 are connected by means of the link 22, the supporting-lever 21 being weighted by the weight 23, which holds the lever 15 in the raised position. The bearing further serves to sup port the shaft 24, on the outer end of which is fixed the sheave 31, to which is secured the line-cable 13. The said line-cable 13, being also secured to the sheave 12 on the staff 10, causes both sheaves 12 and 31 to move in unison. The line-cable 13 moves the entire length of the block, connecting the signals and operating both devices, which are on the same side of the track, thus causing that entire line to move in unison.

On that part of the shaft 24 within the box 19 is fixed the arm 26, the end of which terminates in the jaws 34, (represented in Fig. 7,) and is caused to be lowered in unison with the lever 15 by means of the trigger 27. The said trigger 27 is fulerumed at its end 28 to the lever 15, the lower end of thcsaid trigger being of the form represented in Fig. 6, whereat it is provided with the shoulders 29 and the tongue 30, the tongue 30 acting as a guide in 29, bearing upon the upper part of the jaws 34, serve to depress the said arm 26. 27, being fulcrumed to the lever 15, may be swung in or out of gear with the arm 26, the enlarged end 29 serving to keep the trigger out of gear until the tongue 30 is in line with the jaws 34, when the trigger will drop in position in the said jaws, whereby when the lever 15 is depressed the arm 26 and the shaft 24 will be caused to movein unison therewith, and by means of the outer sheave, 31, and the lineeable 13 this movement Will be indicated the entire length of said line-cable. WVhen the lever is released, the trigger 27 will be drawn out of the jaws 34 in the arm 26, leaving the arm 26 in the lower position, the said arm 26 being brought back to theraised or set position by the movement of the device at the otherend of the block, which will be explained in the manner of operating.

In order to render the signalsinoperative on one side ofthe track,the shaft is provided, which has its bearing secured to the bottom of the box 19. Onone end of thisshaft 25 is the rocker-arm 41, which is connected by means of the link 42 with the lever 15 of the operating .device 50. To the other end of the shaft 25 is fixed the rocker-arm 43,which is in 'line with the trigger 27 of the operating de vice 51,which controls the signals on the other side of the track, the said arm 43 being connected bya chain, 44, with the trigger 27 of the said operating device 51, so that when the lever 15 of the device is depressed, the trigger 27 will be drawn out of thejaws 34 of the device 51 and held thercat as long as the said lever 15 remains depressed, whereby the signals on the side of the track, which are operated by device 51,will not be moved, as, when the lever 15 of device51is depressed while the said trigger 27 is out of gear, no movement can result therefrom to the shaft 24.

The levers 15 are so placed on the inside of each rail 18 that the flange of the car-wheel 56 will first depress the lever 15 of that device which is required to move the signals, and are so placed relatively that before the car-wheel releases this lever 15 of device 50 it will have depressed the lever 15 of device 51, whereby the trigger 27 of device51 will be drawnout of gear and held thereat when said lever 15 of device 51 is depressed by the car-wheel. On the release of the lever 15 of device 51 the trigger 27of this device will fall back in position in the jaws 34 of the arm 26, rendering.

this device 51 operative for a train moving in the other direction. When the lever 15 of device 51 is depressed,itwill in like manner draw out of gear the trigger 27 of device 50; but the signals operated by device 50 Will have been changed before the lever 15 of device 51 has been depressed and results in a simple vibration of the trigger.

The manner of operating is as follows: The block being unoccupied by any passing train, the device is in the set position represented in Fig. 3 and the rays of the lamps or the sema- The trigger.

phore are in line with'the rails 18, thus rendering the signals visible from each end of the block and denoting that the track is clear. On the entrance of a train upon the block, moving in the direction indicated by the arrow, the flange of the car wheel 56 will first strike and depress the lever 15 of the operating device 50, which is on that side of the track on which it is desired to change the signal 9. When the said lever 15 of the device 50 is depressed, the arm 26 will movein unison therewith by means of the trigger 27, the shoulders 29 of the said trigger bearing upon the jaws 34 of the said arm 26, and thus make a positive downward movement between thelever 15 and the shaft 24 and its sheave 31, whereby the sheave 12, to which is fixed the staff 10, will be caused to likewise move in unison by means of the line-cable 13, and the change will beindicated by the turning of the signals 9. The relative sizes of the sheaves 12 and 31 are such that the sheave 12 will move through an arc of ninety degrees when moved by the sheave 31, thus turning the signals on one side of the track, on the the entrance of thetrain thereon, at right angles to the track, and denoting that the block is closed, the .side upon which this signal is made indicating which way the train is moving. NVhen the lever 15 of device 50 is depressed by the flange of the car-wheel, the trigger 27 of the operating device 51 on the other side of the track will be down out of gear and this device 51 rendered inoperative, as heretofore described.- After the train has left this first operating device the signals will remain in the danger position during the time the train is on the block, the arm 26 of device 50 remaining in the down position, Fig. 5, as on the return of the lever 15 of this device the trigger 27 will slip through the jaws 34 of the arm 26 without moving the said arm, and this position of the arm is maintained until the train reaches the other end of the block, when by a device, 52, similar to that first encountered by the train on entering the block, the signals 9 will be brought back to the safe or open position in line with the track,and indicates that the block is clear. When the signals 9 have been brought back to the safe or open position by the passing of the train over the last operating device, 52, the continuous line-cable 13 will also cause the shaft 24 of the device 50 to be. turned and its arm 26 thereby brought in contact with the trigger 27, the tongue 30 of the said trigger finding its place in thejaws 34 of the arm 26, whereby this device 50 will be in position to be operated by thenexttrain.

It will be seen that by this device a train running continnouslyin one direction can operate only the signals upon one 'side of the.

sire to secure by United States Letters Patent, 1s

1. In an automatic railroad-signal, the combination of the operating devices 50 and 52, placed upon one side of the track and connected by a cable, and the operating devices 51 and 53 on the other side of the track, connected by a cable, the opposite devices 50 51 and 52 53 at either end of the block being connected by the shaft 25, and each of the said devices being provided with the lever 15, the shaft 21, and mechanism connected therewith to operate the shaft 25, whereby a movement of any one of the levers \15 on either operat ing device will be indicated by signal on one side of the track and the signaling device on the other side of the track will be rendered inoperative by the movement of the same 1ever, for the purpose set forth.

2. In an automatic railroad-signal, the combination of the signal 9, the operating devices 50, 51, 52, and 53, each of the said devices being provided with mechanism for operating the signal 9 by a passing train, the trigger 27, and mechanism connected therewith for rendering inoperative the signals on one side of movement of a passing train, in combination with the trigger 27, the arm 26, and the shaft 25, whereby the signal on one side of the track will be rendered inoperative, for the purpose set forth.

4c. In an automatic railroad-signal, the combination of the signals 9 and the cables 13 with the operating devices 50, 51, 52, and 53, each of the said operating devices consisting of the lever 15, the trigger 27, the arm 26, the shaft 24, the sheave 31, the shaft 25, the link 42, and the chain 44, for the purpose set forth.

5. In an automatic railroad-signal, the combination of the signals 9 and the cable 13 with the operating devices 50, 51, 52, and 53, each of the said devices consisting of the lever 15, the trigger 27, the arm 26, the shaft 24, and mechanism to operate the said trigger 27, whereby the signals on one side of the track may be rendered inoperative, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

ROBERT A. REGESTER, GEORGE D. GREENWOOD.

\Vitnesses:

WM. L. BAILIE, JNO. T. MADDoX. 

